Franklin Book Program: a cultural tool of cold war era

The Cold War waged by the formidable adversaries – the United States of America (USA) and the erstwhile Soviet Union – commenced in1947 following the conclusion of the Second World War. It was also a cultural war, where the combatants...

Fish die en masse in Meghna: An ecological disaster in making

The news that different species of dead fish are floating in the river Meghna is unsettling. Strangely, this ecological disaster has not been widely covered by the media and the newspapers which did placed it on inside pages. The Meghna...

Metro route extension in limbo over cost hurdles

The metro rail company faces uncertainties over finishing the existing Uttara-Motijheel route's extension to the Kamalapur Railway Station in time as the contractor has proposed an exorbitant rate for electrical and mechanical work. Against the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited's...

Eight years on, customs ports' green channel virtually remain ineffective

The green channel facilities offered to 15 large taxpayers have remained almost ineffective for the last eight years since its introduction due to inaction of the authorities concerned in this regard.The privilege supposed to be enjoyed as the Authorised Economic...

Fourth, fifth loan tranches may come together in June

Releasing the fourth instalment from IMF loan package may be delayed until June and come jointly with the fifth tranche then, unless two mandatory prior actions are executed. The two must-dos are additional revenue mobilisation and exchange-rate flexibility.Officials said the...

Retail investors of BEXIMCO likely to return empty-handed

General shareholders of BEXIMCO are likely to lose their investment in the company after the closure of its business units, which used to generate 80 per cent of its revenue. The company experienced a loss of Tk 358.79 million in...

Strengthening existing universities

Bangladesh's unchecked expansion of universities without ensuring quality could be a textbook example of how to undermine academic standards, devalue degrees, and ultimately burden the nation with subpar graduates. First, the authorities ignored the quality of teachers. Then they ignored...

Trump's America, tariffs, canals & USAID

These are days of rapid fire politics in Donald Trump's America. Geopolitics has been pushed into chaotic unpredictability. With Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Elon Musk looking on, the world must now find the means of maintaining a sort of...

Shocking truth of DeepSeek

The Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot (a computer programme that can converse with its human user) resembling US tech company Open AI's ChatGPT that a Chinese tech firm, DeepSeek, launched last month has proved to be quite a disruptive innovation for...

Justification to be sought for very high consultancy costs

The Local Government Division (LGD) has proposed spending over Tk 1.07 billion on consultancy services for a project that involves repairing flood-damaged infrastructures and building shelters in six districts to mitigate future disaster impacts.The districts are Noakhali, Feni, Cumilla, Lakshmipur,...

BD-Pak jt working group soon to promote trade

Closing ranks long after their separation through Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, the two countries are set to form a high-powered Joint Working Group (JWG) for expanding bilateral trade and cooperation.Sources say the Pakistan government has already sent a draft memorandum...

Spotify logs first annual profit

STOCKHOLM, Feb 4 (AFP): Music streaming giant Spotify reported its first annual profit on Tuesday, with the number of active users growing more than expected in the fourth quarter to reach 675 million.The company reported a net profit of 1.1...

Khulna and Bagerhat through Food and Culture

Khulna, a city flourishing along the Rupsha River, symbolizes Bangladesh's rich medieval history and culture. Just a short journey away lies Bagerhat, a town renowned for its red-domed mosques, large dighis (reservoirs), and medieval heritage. From the visionary endeavors of...

Promoting growth of agent banking

Introduction of agent banking system across the country has taken the banking service to the doorsteps of the common people who so long did not have access to formal financial service. In the traditional banking system, clients have to go...

Country in urgent need of updated caregiving

At the entrance of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICH&R) in Dhaka, a 55-year-old woman hailed from Khulna burst into tears having been denied radiotherapy--the last antidote for her to live some more days. Having undergone four...

Market intermediaries feel forced to shut down business amid low turnovers

Prolonged bearish trend of the country's capital market threatens the survival of intermediaries. A majority of them are unable to meet expenses with income derived from operations.The situation is so dire that stockbrokers, merchant banks and asset management companies may...

Banks' deposit, lending rates likely to follow suit

The yields on treasury bills (T-bills) dropped below 11 per cent on Sunday, showing signs of a fall in banks' deposit and lending rates in the near future, market insiders said.The interest rates on the T-bills fell below the level...

Is the monetary policy failing?

The current monetary policy was set in motion at a time when the economy was in a dire state. The inflation rate was trending upwards alarmingly and the national output was sluggish. Amidst rampant corruption and large-scale looting of the...

MoF clueless about stubborn inflation

Persisting high prices of goods and services despite government interventions have prompted the finance authorities to begin brainstorming to fix the defiant hikers, with focus on demand-pull and cost-push factors.Through the study they want to examine the impact of output...

Why evict allottees and demolish Ashrayan homes?

The August 5 changed life forever--- for some it is a new dawn, a fresh beginning on course of the cherished destiny but for others it is not so promising. Among the latter, leaving aside the political elements, there are...

Projecting economy's true image

One of the many characteristics authoritarian rulers tend to project is that they are larger than life. So, they are in the habit of installing high-rise buildings, bridges, highways, mausoleums, grand religious edifices and so on. Of course, more than...

MTB rebrands with appeal to tech-savvy clients

Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) started its rebranding process with a new logo on February 1, aiming to attract more customers, particularly the youth, by offering world-class services, according to the bank's top executive."We've decided to rebrand, taking into account the...

Marine turtles in trouble on Cox's Bazar coastline

COX'S BAZAR, Feb 01: Existence of the marine turtles is under threat in the Bay of Bengal as deaths of the amphibians in a large number within a short span of time have come as a pressing concern for the...

WTO and LDC graduation

There is a call for deferring the country's graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. Some civil society activists and trade bodies have raised concerns about the possible adverse effects of the graduation, which is scheduled to happen by...

Top 10 corporate entities’ contributions fall 1.25pc

Collection of value-added tax (VAT) from the top 10 corporate taxpayers declined by Tk 4.0 billion or 1.25 per cent in the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) from the same period of last FY.Latest data...

Rice output to rise 45.8pc if full potential tapped

Rice production in Bangladesh remains at 4.8 tonnes per hectare, 1.2 to 2.2 tonnes below the potential yield of 6-7 tonnes, due to constraints such as cultivation of low-yield paddy varieties, according to the final report of the taskforce on...

Cos perform well in tensed climate after realignment

Latest financial disclosures once again proved that companies with strong financial positions perform well even in a challenging business climate if they can ensure management efficiency. Companies, such as Square Pharmaceuticals, Marico Bangladesh, MJL Bangladesh, Berger Paints and Eastern Housing,...

Low-output, high-cost spiral of rice & wheat

Crop production, especially rice and wheat, has increased at a steady state over the last several years (Table 6.1). During the first half of FY25, Aman was produced and harvested; however, no official data is available. The Ministry of Agriculture...

Strengthening the fire service

Bangladesh is susceptible to various natural and manmade disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, and fires. In the event of such emergencies, Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) plays a critical role as the first responder, often being the first point of...

City's young people are giving rise to a culture of daily food fest

Dhaka's street food has a long tradition. But it is Old Dhaka, particularly the area comprising Shankhari Baazar, Chawk Baazar, Patuatuly, Mitford etc., that has boasted an unrivalled status in catering for Dhakaites' gastronomic satisfaction. Other neighbourhoods in the city...